I came home tonight from visiting a friend in Los Angeles.  I sat in traffic for almost two hours  on the way there but on the way back there was no traffic whatsoever and I was home free. So I took advantage of the open road…I blasted my stereo and just drove.  As I was cruising along I looked down at my  speedometer and I noticed that I was going way faster than I felt I was going…but so was everyone else. I mean, I was just going with the flow of traffic right? Technically I was breaking the law…but it felt so good! The road was open and not a cop in site! Now, I don’t know that I would have been so quick to break the law with a law enforcement officer in my rear view mirror. Your dog crosses boundaries for the same reasons…its feels good and there’s no consequence or boundary enforcer. Your dog would begin to think twice about crossing boundaries if they were set and consistently reinforced with consequences that matter. You must be consistent and patient so the boundaries you set in place become more and more clear to your dog. Give them a chance to catch on by guiding them in the same direction each time. For example, don’t set a boundary restricting your dog from getting on the bed and then  invite him up. That just gets confusing and now the boundary lines are blurred. We tend to get frustrated with the dog when we are the ones that throw them off. Dogs are simple so keep it clear for their sake and for yours. 🙂